


Running Home

by kirallie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Naruto
Genre: AU, F/M, Het and Slash, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-14
Updated: 2013-04-14
Packaged: 2017-12-08 11:01:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/760593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirallie/pseuds/kirallie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the run from both Death Eaters and the Ministry, Harry flees the Wizarding world to search for his sole remaining family member. Of course, since he's Harry Potter nothing ever goes right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

Harry sat slumped against the cold, rather slimy stonewall, letting his head thump against it in a random rhythm without caring about the pain it caused. And to think the summer had started out oh so normally too. That should have warned him! But the Express had been on time, his 'family' had been waiting impatiently on the other side of the barrier and Dudley had given him his usual welcome home beating after his things had been locked in the cupboard under the stairs. For two weeks everything had been depressingly normal at Privet Drive, the order's warning had made no difference, especially after no one showed up to investigate after the first two beatings.

But everything had changed on August eighteenth. Aunt Petunia had sent him to the shops for milk, a bit unusual but not unheard of. The house being nothing more than a smoking crater when he returned was very unusual though. Luckily he had managed to keep his wand hidden on himself at all times and had sent Hedwig to Lupin for the summer so she was safe and he was armed. What forced him into immediate action was the sight of the Dark Mark floating above the remains of his childhood 'home'. Harry had run for several blocks before summoning the Knight Bus and fleeing to Diagon Alley, Gringotts specifically. One thing he had learnt since entering the Wizarding World, if it were at all even remotely possible then Fudge would blame what had happened on Harry and the press and then the public would back him.

The Goblins had been very helpful once they realised he was heir to not only the Potter family but through Sirius the Black as well. He'd emptied the accounts to keep the Ministry from freezing them and exchanged portions for various currencies since he wasn't sure where he would end up and then done some much needed shopping while in disguise, after all he no longer had any possessions thanks to Voldie and his men. After posting a few goodbye letters he had then taken the Goblin provided portkey to the middle of nowhere. See, it turned out that Petunia wasn't the sole remaining family he had had on his mothers' side. Turned out he had a second cousin several years older than him living in a 'hidden village'. Apparently his grandmother had once lived there two but had left for some reason. Her brother however had remained, married and had a son. The problem with all of this? Not even the Goblins knew exactly where these villages were leading to him landing in the middle of nowhere flat on his rear. And of course his luck held true. He was pretty sure he was now in one of the hidden villages but the dungeons had not been a part of the plan, especially since they had found and taken his wand and the portkey. He'd managed to learn enough Japanese to usually make himself understood and he understood a lot more than he could speak, all thanks to magic. Unfortunately he had landed in an extremely paranoid and militaristic area, which had led to his current predicament of being in a cold cell. At least he wasn't chained to the wall or anything. If all the villages were like this it was no wonder his Grandmother had moved to England!

\----------------------------------

Harry slumped, feigning unconsciousness as the door to his cell was opened and another person dragged in and then, by the sound of it, chained to the wall. He waited until the door had been re-locked before moving over to his new cellmate. The man was dressed similarly to the others Harry had seen but his headband thing appeared to have a very stylised leaf on its metal part instead of the musical note he'd seen on the others. Harry carefully checked the man for injuries, tearing up his own shirt for bandages. Was everyone here odd looking? Though he figured he really couldn't comment considering some of the things he'd seen since entering his parents world. After making the man as comfortable as he could Harry returned to 'his' side of the cell, curled up and let himself drift off to sleep while trying to keep an ear out for the guards.

\-----------------------

The first thing Kakashi noticed upon waking was that he wasn't alone. He remained still, imitating unconsciousness perfectly, listening to the others breathing until he realised his companion appeared to be asleep. He opened his eye slowly; confirming visually that the other was actually asleep. Apparently he was chained to the wall in a cell with another male who wasn't chained up. So either the guards didn't consider him a threat or he was a more willing guest than Kakashi. He frowned as he noticed the odd scars on the males back; he'd been whipped by something in the past. It was then that he realised his wounds had been bound by his companions' shirt. Staring at the messy dark hair he couldn't help but wonder, even if it was unlikely.

"Sasuke?" He questioned softly and tried to sit up better only to groan in pain. He felt his vision fade and then gentle hands were on him, re-checking his wounds. He blinked and found himself staring into concerned emerald eyes, not Sasuke then.

"You're hurt bad. Moving isn't good idea." Kakashi blinked as the boy, because there was no way he was older than fifteen, spoke in broken Japanese. An Outsider? He nodded slightly to let him know he understood and received a warm smile. The boy finished his examination and backed off a bit so that they could really look at each other. "My name is Harry." Kakashi stared at him before deciding to answer; it wasn't like there was anyone in Sound who didn't know who he was.

"Kakashi. Thank you." He moved his arm to indicate the bandage and received a shy smile in return. "You're an Outsider?" Harry gave him a confused look, obviously not understanding. "Outsider. Not from the villages. Where do you come from?" He saw understanding light in Harry's eyes.

"England, from England. Long way." Kakashi nodded, that would explain why he wasn't chained. An Outsider wouldn't be considered a threat by most shinobi. But what was Harry doing here? The boy looked in good enough condition that he couldn't have been here too long, he was thin yes but it didn't appear to be a new development. Also he was moving well and didn't appear injured at all so he doubted Harry has been questioned or anything. But could he trust Harry to try and escape with him? Sooner or later someone would come for him, he knew how badly Orochimaru wanted the Sharingan and even his single one would be a great advantage to the man.

"Have you been hurt?" Kakashi kept his words and sentences simple so that hopefully Harry would understand.

"No. Left alone. Food once day."

"When?"

"Soon. Two men. One watches other place food." Kakashi nodded, so they weren't so complacent as to think the boy utterly harmless. "Escape?" Kakashi's gaze jerked back to Harry who grinned. He smiled behind his mask, so the guards weren't the only ones underestimating the teenager, he was guilty as well. Looking into green eyes Kakashi realised that while he may not be a killer the teen was no innocent, there was pain and knowledge there that only came with experience and loss. Kakashi nodded in answer to Harry's question and the teen moved closer to exam the chains with a frown of concentration. "Wait a few days. Injuries need time, heal." Harry stated as he studied the locks. Kakashi nodded, knowing that they would stand a better chance if he were able to heal some. Harry was so engrossed in his work and Kakashi in enough pain that their first clue to the guards' presence was Harry being flung into the opposite wall by one of said guards. Kakashi saw Harry's eyes widen in shock and pain as he slammed into the unforgiving stone before he slumped bonelessly to the floor.

"We better chain the kid up." The guard commented flippantly.

"Told you so." His partner stated from the doorway. "Better not have hurt him too badly, they want to question him later."

"He'll live. Which is more than I can say for you Copy-nin. Orochimaru has decided you're too dangerous to leave alive." With that the guard pulled a kunai and moved closer so that he could slit Kakashi's throat. Kakashi stared at him, knowing that he was about to die and that there was nothing that could be done about it. A half-shouted warning came far too late and the guard crumpled, dropping the kunai.

Kakashi stared at Harry as the teen got shakily to his feet, eyes locked with the remaining guard. Either Harry had regained conscious very quickly or he had been faking the entire time. Kakashi didn't know what he'd done to the guard but he hadn't felt any chakra being used. He yelled a warning as the remaining guard hurled a kunai at Harry but even obviously exhausted the teen managed to dodge it rather gracefully. Harry called out something and flung his hand out towards the guard. The man tried to dodge but Harry was too close, having dodged towards him rather than putting more distance between them. The red light slammed into the guard, lifting him off his feet slightly before he crumpled like his companion had. A second thud had Kakashi turning his attention back to Harry only to see him half-collapsed on the floor, gulping for air.

"Harry?" Green eyes clouded by pain slowly rose to meet his.

"Too much." Harry gasped and Kakashi nodded in understanding. Harry's actions of the last few minutes had made up his mind for him, he was taking the teen back to Konoha with him. Harry hadn't needed to save him, obviously at great risk to himself and the last thing they needed was for Orochimaru to learn whatever it was the teen had done.

"We need to move Harry. You have to get up." Kakashi urged and Harry blinked blearily before staggering to his feet and back over to Kakashi. But then he changed direction, going to the first man he had taken down and studying him.

"Key for chains?" Harry asked, exhaustion evident in his voice and stance.

"Pouch on his hip." Harry nodded and gingerly knelt, keeping a wary eye on the unconscious guard. So there was no guarantee how long the men would remain unconscious or the teen wouldn't be so cautious. Harry searched carefully before coming up with the keys. He fumbled with the chains a few times before the locks clicked open. Kakashi used the wall to help himself stand, feeling his chakra returning to him. The chains had been designed to suppress it and keep him weak. He looked at both guards and then at Harry. "Put his clothes on." Kakashi pointed at the door guard since he was the shorted of the two and Harry frowned before nodding in understanding. Kakashi stripped the other guard and dressed in his uniform, glad to be rid of his own torn and stained clothes. He chained the man to the wall in his place before killing him. He turned to see Harry staring at him before the teen nodded and shot him a small but understanding smile. He understood why Kakashi had killed the guard. Harry blushed slightly and held up a bundle of cloth.

"Help?" Kakashi grinned; Harry's clothes were very different from what shinobi wore. He helped the teen to dress; hiding his concern over how thin the boy was but worried him the most at the moment was how Harry was moving and how pale he was. Not that he was in the best condition himself, it would have been better if they had had a few days for Kakashi to heal before attempting this but there was no knowing when the two men would be missed. He quickly killed the remaining guard and moved him over to where Harry had been sleeping, it wouldn't fool anyone for long but hopefully it would give them a head start.

"Do what I do and don't talk. Can you do it?" Harry gave him a tired grin.

"No choice." Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, suddenly standing straighter and looking quite a bit less pale. Obviously he had tapped some sort of reserve and Kakashi knew that sort of thing never lasted long so he started down the corridor. There were a few times when Kakashi would have sworn they were caught but every time Harry would grab onto him, close his eyes, whisper something in what Kakashi assumed was his native language and they would be overlooked. One time Kabuto stared straight at them before walking away as if there was no one there. Once out of the village Kakashi took a good hold of Harry's arm and began to run, pulling the teen along since he didn't have the strength to carry him yet. They managed just over an hour before Kakashi found himself pulling deadweight; Harry had passed out, white as a ghost and sweating heavily. Kakashi dropped his arm and quickly checked his vitals. He would have preferred to be further from Sound before stopping but now there was no choice, Harry was out cold and showed no signs of waking any time soon. Kakashi was actually surprised the teenager had lasted as long as he had but he had seen the lithe muscles when he'd helped him dress. He may be thin but he wasn't unfit. He worked quickly to set up a very basic camp and used the various things he had found on the guards to set up traps and alarms so they would have some warning and defence if found, doing his best to hide the evidence of their presence.

_TBC…_


	2. 2

Harry lay still, unsure of where he was or what had woken him. All he knew was that he was outdoors and that he was not alone.

"Harry." He relaxed and opened his eyes as he recognised Kakashi's voice, blinking sleepily at the older man. He was still tired but no longer exhausted, his magical core had recharged itself somewhat while he slept. Harry pushed himself into a sitting position and smiled at Kakashi.

"Where?"

"Only an hours run from Sound." Kakashi informed him. "Can you go on now?" Harry nodded and then tilted his head, thinking while studying his companion. The language barrier was dangerous in their current situation but would Kakashi let him?

"Try something? Need more language." Harry stumbled for the right words, frustrated.

"You have a way to learn the language, from me?" Kakashi asked to clarify what he thought the teen had asked and Harry nodded. "How?" Harry touched his own temple.

"From here. Only take language, no memories, thoughts. Promise. Not hurt." Harry bit his lip nervously. He would be able to pick the language up fairly quickly on his own, because of his Parseltongue abilities he was able to learn languages a lot faster than normal, but they didn't have the time for that.

Kakashi stared at the obviously nervous teen. He could take knowledge from his mind? That made him nervous but was it all that different from what the Yamanaka clan could do? The main question was wether or not he could trust Harry. It was rather convenient that they had been placed in the same cell after all and he had only shown his skills when it had become utterly necessary. Then again Harry had no reason to trust him since it had been shinobi who had thrown him in a cell in the first place. Yes, the teen had saved his life but he knew nothing about him.  
  
"How old are you?" Harry stared at him in surprise, obviously not expecting the question. "If, if I let you do this then I need to know about you first." Kakashi explained and the teen nodded.

"Sixteen. Orphan, run away. Looking…" Harry trailed off, obviously unsure as to wether or not he should tell Kakashi.

"Looking for?" He questioned and Harry swallowed before nodding to himself.

"Cousin. Grandmother from village, don't know which. Cousin somewhere." Harry indicated the expanse around them and shrugged. It wasn't unheard of for people to travel Outside and settle but it was rare. It also explained why Harry was here, an orphan would risk a lot at the chance of finding a family.

"The clan name?" Kakashi asked. Sure he was curious but he also needed to know if he recognised the name. Last thing they needed was for the family to be one of the powerful clans from a village Konoha didn't have good relations with. That would make things more than a little awkward, even if the kid didn't realise it. Kakashi mentally berated himself, Harry was older than he'd originally assumed and obviously not a kid so he shouldn't call him one, even in his thoughts.

"Umino." Kakashi stared in shock. What were the odds? How many Umino clans could there be?"

"Iruka?" He asked, just to be sure and it was Harry's turn to look shocked before the teenager nodded warily.

"You know?" Harry asked, suspicious but also hopeful.

"Yes, he's a teacher in my village. A good man." He smiled behind his mask even though he was still unsure wether or not he should trust such apparent good fortune. Harry obviously felt the same because he still seemed wary and just as unsure as Kakashi felt. He studied the teen closely before deciding, the longer they stayed the more chance someone would find them. "Do it, but take some geography as well if you can. In case we get separated." Harry stared at him before he nodded and then moved to kneel on the ground, motioning for Kakashi to do the same. Once they were comfortable Harry smiled nervously.

"Try relax." Harry suggested before locking their gazes.

Harry reached out for Kakashi's mind and soon found himself inside a traditional Japanese house. He looked around for a bit before finding what he needed. He picked up the scroll and closed his eyes, absorbing the knowledge. Once done he put it down and repeated the process with a nearby map. He was about to leave when a picture caught his attention. It was of a blond teenager and a dark haired man with a scar across his nose. But it was the memory 'caption' that held his attention; Umino Iruka and Uzumaki Naruto. He blinked and pulled back, out of Kakashi's mind and into the real world.

"Done. It didn't hurt did it? I'm still learning and mostly self-taught since the guy who was teaching me was actually only teaching me to shield my mind. I heard to learn this through observation." Which was true. Harry had learnt a lot more from Snape's lessons than the man had ever realised. But childhood habits die hard and Harry had learnt young to never show exactly how smart he was. He knew that he could rival Hermione for grades if he ever tried but had always been content to let her have that spotlight, he had too many on him as it was.

Kakashi blinked, it must have worked seeing as the teen was now babbling but understandable, even his accent was convincing. He sounded like anyone who had lived in Konoha did and that was very strange considering a few minutes ago he had had trouble understanding the teen.

"Slow down Harry, I didn't feel a thing."

"Good. When my teacher used to do that to me it hurt, a lot. But then again we didn't exactly get along so I figured he was doing it purposely. I got the map too; we're in Rice country. I…I saw a picture as well. I didn't go snooping or anything, it was right there with the map and language scroll so I couldn't help but see it." Harry was still babbling but at least at a slower pace, making Kakashi fight a grin.

"It was of Iruka, wasn't it?" Kakashi asked and Harry nodded nervously.

"Sorry. I didn't see anything else, I swear. It must have been there because we'd just been talking about him so it was on the surface." Kakashi nodded and moved to stretch, hiding a wince. "Are you okay? I should check your injuries." Okay, so maybe he hadn't hidden the wince very well.

"You did a pretty good job of patching them up considering where we were and the fact that you used your shirt." He commented, earning a shy smile. He got the feeling Harry hadn't received many compliments or much praise before.

"Thanks. I end up in the school infirmary so often that the nurse figured it would be a good idea for me to have some basic healing skills." Harry explained as he unwound the strips of his shirt form the various wounds.

"There should be bandages in your pouch." Kakashi told him and Harry nodded, digging them out and re-bandaging the wounds that needed it. Kakashi let him work, watching him as he studied each wound carefully. His hands were gentle but calloused; he was no pampered child that was for sure. "What's it like?" Harry looked up, puzzled. "England." Kakashi clarified and Harry shrugged, lowering his head.

"Okay I guess. Cold and wet a lot of the time. I won't miss it." Kakashi could hear the pain in his voice so he decided to leave it for now.

"So Iruka's your only family?"

"As of a few days before I ended up in that cell. Got sent to the shops and came back to find a crater where the house used to be, no survivors. There's nothing for me there anymore, not that I have a clue how to get back. Transportation was kind of one way." Harry shrugged. Not to mention the portkey and his wand had been taken from him, even the choker with his new trunk as part of it was still back in Sound. "Finished. Nothing's infected, yet. You need to be careful. I don't recognise the plant life, which means if you do develop an infection I won't know which will heal and which will harm."

"We can't wait here for me to heal, we're too close to Sound. If we're attacked can you do whatever it was you did in the cell?"

"I wouldn't count on it. I'm not entirely sure how I did it then considering what I did is meant to be impossible." Harry shrugged again and stood, stretching out his aching muscles.

"Can you tell me the general direction of Konoha? If we get separated you need to head that way as fast as you can and not stop for anything. Tell them what has happened and they'll help you." Kakashi explained. Harry looked up at the sun to judge the direction.

"That way." He pointed and Kakashi nodded.

"Let's go. You set the pace, something you can maintain for as long as possible." Harry nodded and took off. Kakashi was surprised at his speed, faster than a civilian but not quite as fast as a genin. Still, it was better than he'd hoped for.

\----------------

"Kakashi?" Harry stopped and looked back at the older man.

"Get out of sight." Harry obeyed instantly, slipping into some bushes and keeping utterly still. Kakashi was glad the teen could follow orders like that. He'd replaced the sound hitai-ate a day ago with his own since they were getting close to the border and Harry had ditched his at the same time. Kakashi pulled out a kunai and hid himself, hoping the chakra signatures he could feel approaching were from fellow leaf-nin but he doubted it. The only good thing was that with Harry's low and untrained chakra he would hopefully be overlooked as an animal or something.

Kakashi leapt away and the branch he had been crouched on was riddled with kunai. Judging their trajectory he threw his own and one of the signatures blinked out.

Harry stayed still, senses straining to get an idea of what was going on. He bit back a scream when a dead body suddenly dropped down millimetres from his head. He was happy to note that it wasn't Kakashi but someone from Sound going by the headband. He moved his hand just enough to relieve the body of its kunai holster, pulling one out. If it came down to it he wasn't going out without a fight and Kakashi had all the weapons that had been with the stolen uniforms. He waited silently to the occasional noise and grunts as the fight continued before everything fell silent.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Harry relaxed as Kakashi called to him and stood slowly.

"Over here, I'm fine." He called, not wanting to get killed because Kakashi thought he was one of the bad guys. "Thanks for dropping a corpse on me by the way," He shuddered slightly as he spoke, that had not been fun. "Are you okay? You're bleeding again." Harry stepped forward and Kakashi let him check the new wound before quickly bandaging it.

"We need to move quickly." Kakashi said and Harry nodded, handing Kakashi the weapons he'd taken from the body.

Kakashi had to admit he was impressed with how Harry was handling things. Having a dead body drop on him had to have been disconcerting to say the least and yet he had stayed concealed, even managing to search the body for weapons and arming himself with them. He obviously wasn't used to death the way a ninja was but he had definitely seen it before, several times. As if sensing what he was thinking about Harry spoke.

"My parents were killed when I was one. At fourteen I watched a classmate killed, unable to do anything. A few months ago the closest person to a father I've ever known was killed rescuing me." Harry kept his back to Kakashi as he spoke and Kakashi let him have his privacy. That explained why he was able to react the way he did.

"Lets go." Once again he let Harry set the pace while he thought about what he had learnt. Sounded like Harry's life hadn't been easy up to now but it explained why he had accepted Kakashi's actions in the cell so easily. The teen was carrying around a lot of pain that, if he was allowed to stay in Konoha, Kakashi knew Iruka could help him with.

\-------------------------------

Kakashi watched Harry as they ran through the brush. He would prefer to be in the trees but without chakra training he would have to carry Harry and he was still sore enough to want to avoid that unless necessary. Luckily the attack yesterday morning was the only one so far. He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts when Harry slammed into him, knocking them to the ground. His first thoughts were of betrayal and that Harry was an excellent actor until he heard the teen's cry of pain. Kakashi rolled them, coming up in a protective stance over Harry. He swore as he got a look at the large snake, a snaked with fresh blood on its fangs. Harry had saved his life but without immediate medical aide he would lose his own. However if he moved it would leave Harry open to further attack but the boy was as good as dead and he couldn't fight a snake from his current position. He jerked back in shock, grip tightening on his kunai, as he heard low hissing coming not from the snake but from below him. He glanced down warily to see that Harry had managed to push himself up on one elbow and was hissing dangerously at the snake. Kakashi backed slowly away from both, not sure which was the greater threat. He stared in shock as the snake slowly backed off, seeming to bow to Harry.

"Harry? What?" Pain hazed eyes slowly focused on him and Harry smiled crookedly up at him before his arm crumpled under him and he lay on the ground. Kakashi slowly approached and rolled the teen onto his back.

"Someone set snakes to track us…she'll protect you now…get you home." Harry swallowed and his eyes slid shut before he forced them open again. "Forbidden to attack a speaker but no time…only heard her at the last." Harry coughed and Kakashi pulled him up to sit against a tree, hopefully making it easier for him to breath. He pulled out their remaining bandages, hoping to slow the venoms progress to give Harry a chance but the teen weakly pushed his hand away. "Too late." He whispered and Kakashi nodded, he'd known that but he didn't want to have to sit and watch the boy die.

"Stay with me Harry. How do you think Iruka will feel if I show up with his dead cousin he needs family just as much as you do." Kakashi tried to convince Harry to fight, even though he knew it was useless. Harry was gasping for air and his eyes were unfocused.

"Sorry." Harry gasped and then began hissing softly, holding a shaking hand out to the snake who slithered over and up his arm. He listened to the snake before hissing again and nodding weakly. "When safe kill her…attacked a Speaker, punishment death. Wish I could meet Iruka." Harry's voice had been gradually getting softer as he spoke and now his head fell forward even as his eyes slid shut and his body slumped limply against the tree. The snake flicked its tongue over his skin before butting his head with its own, as if trying to get him to wake up. When that didn't work the snake slowly slithered onto Kakashi's arm and wrapped herself around him gently, keeping her fans away from any vital points. Kakashi sat and stared at the teen, he was not moving until it was over and Harry was still breathing even if it was barely detectable. He would carry the teen's body back to Konoha where he would receive a proper burial.

_TBC…_


	3. 3

Kakashi stayed still, watching as Harry's breathing continued to slow, the snake coiled around his body with her head resting on his shoulder. The teen was extremely pale now and the bite had stopped bleeding although there was a small trickle of blood from his mouth. What shocked him into actually moving back was when Harry suddenly went rigid and then screamed. Moving fast he placed his hand over the teen's mouth to smother the noise even as emerald eyes flew open, reflecting the utter agony Harry was experiencing. Kakashi shot a glare at the snake and pulled out a kunai, he would kill Harry and spare him any more pain but the snake tightened a coil around his arm and hissed a warning, causing him to still. A few seconds later Harry spasmed and then went limp but his breathing had improved and he had a bit more colour. Reaching forward Kakashi checked his pulse and found it to be weak but steady. He frowned in thought, somehow Harry was no longer dieing from the poison. Something to do with his ability to speak to the snake? He didn't think so because Harry had seemed to honestly believe he was dieing. A low groan brought his attention back from his thoughts.

"Harry, can you hear me?" He asked softly. To his amazement green eyes fluttered open briefly even as Harry's hand twitched. Kakashi gripped his hand and smiled as he felt an answering squeeze, albeit very weak.

"Kashi." The word was very faint but decipherable.

"Hang in there Harry, I'll get you to safety. Can you tell the snake to get off me? I need to carry you." Kakashi sighed as Harry appeared to have passed out again but then a very faint hissing reached his ears. The snake carefully uncoiled from around him only to coil up around Harry even more gently. Moving carefully Kakashi lifted Harry and positioned him onto his back before taking to the trees. He doubted Harry's scream had gone unheard and wanted to put as much distance between them and that clearing as possible. As he ran he tried to ignore the quiet hissing from the snake. To his surprise he found that if he had to label the hissing he would say that it was meant to be comforting, it appeared the snake was trying to comfort the unconscious teen.

\--------------------------------

Kakashi dropped from the trees and onto the road, walking the rest of the way without trying to hide. Since the snake had attacked they'd had no further trouble although she had left twice and returned looking rather smug for a snake. Harry had been in and out of consciousness although his periods of wakefulness were increasing, something that Kakashi took as a good sign, even if he wasn't always coherent. The guards looked shocked for a second when he stepped into view before one vanished, presumably to get a medical team and report his return, He walked closer and then carefully lowered Harry to the ground. The teen moaned and twitched slightly but didn't wake but the remaining guard stiffened as he noticed the snake coiled around Harry's body. A few seconds later the other guard returned with a medical team and Tsunade.

"Hokage." Kakashi gave a short, stiff bow his remaining injuries and having carried Harry plus a large snake had taken their toll on his body.

"Who is that?" Tsunade asked suspiciously, eyeing the snake.

"Harry, we shared a cell in Sound. He saved my life twice." Kakashi stepped closer, pitching his voice for here ears alone. Some things about the teen needed to be kept secret. "He's an Outsider and he has abilities that could be very useful. For one, he can talk to snakes, that one was meant to kill us both but because of Harry it has protected us. He needs medical attention though."

"So do you." They both looked over as the snake hissed a warning to the medics when they got to close.

"I'll put him on the stretcher." Kakashi offered and they gladly moved back, eyeing the teen and the snake with distrust and a little fear.

"Not a word of this to anyone. For now this boy is a S-ranked secret." Tsunade announced, seeing their looks and thinking about what Kakashi had said. She watched as Kakashi gently lifted the teen and placed him on the stretcher. Taking a deep breath he held his arm out to the snake.

"Com on. Please, he needs treatment." The snake looked between Kakashi and the others warily. Tsunade stepped up and bravely allowed the snake to examine her, holding still as its tongue flicked over her skin. Slowly it uncoiled from around Harry and moved onto Kakashi.

"Comfortable brat?" Tsunade asked.

"Not really, but trust me you don't want to get bitten." He held up Harry's arm to reveal the still inflamed wound and the Hokage's eyes widened in shock.

"Lets go!" she called and they moved swiftly to the hospital.

\-------------------------------

Kakashi looked up as Tsunade and Ibiki walked in.

"How is he?" He asked. The snake raised her head from where she was sunning herself on the windowsill.

"Stable and sleeping. Shizune is watching over him and there are Anbu outside his room. Care to explain what happened?"

"The mission failed and I was captured. When I came to I was in a cell, chained to the wall." Kakashi explained everything that had happened from his capture until the guards had seen them on the road. He stopped finally to take a long drink of water, wetting his parched throat.

"There's more." Ibiki stated and Kakashi nodded.

"He has family here, through his grandmother."

"Did he tell you a name?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah, Umino Iruka and he gave the name before going into my mind so he didn't get it from me." Shocked silence met his announcement.

"Do you believe him?" Ibiki asked.

"Yes. He's shown no sign of lying to me, withholding things yes but not lying."

"He could be a spy." Ibiki pointed out.

"Agreed but his ability makes him a too obvious choice and Orochimaru is usually a little more subtle. Have someone find Iruka; I want to know if he knows anything about a family member leaving the villages. For now we'll keep the guard on the boy and watch him closely." Tsunade ordered and Ibiki left. "As much as I know you won't like it I want one of the Yamanaka to take a look at you, just as a precaution." Kakashi nodded in understanding. "Other than that you'll be fine, he did a good job with your injuries."

\-----------------------------------------

Harry groaned and forced his eyes open before shutting them again as the light hit them. He moaned and tried to bury his head only to stop at the sound of someone chuckling. He sighed as he recognised the distinctive smells of a hospital and finally opened his eyes, gazing around warily.

"Welcome back." His gaze focused on the masked silver haired man and he smiled slightly.

"We made it?" He croaked and gratefully drank the water the older man gave him. He could feel Kakashi smiling behind his mask.

"We made it. You've been out for nearly a week though since you're meant to be dead that's not bad." Kakashi told him and Harry frowned, trying to remember what had happened.

"The snake… Shouldn't I be dead?" Harry looked at Kakashi in confusion and then looked around the room as he heard a familiar noise. Looking over at the window he saw the snake sunning herself.

#Hello young speaker. # The snake hissed as she raised her head to stare at him.

#Hello. What happened? # Harry asked.

#Basilisk and phoenix. # She said before going back to sleep. Harry stared blankly for a few seconds before cracking up and then going into a coughing fit causing Kakashi to leap to his feet and try to help. And that was the scene the Hokage walked in on.

_TBC…_


	4. 4

Iruka stared at the Hokage, unsure as to why he had been called. He fought the urge to shift nervously and stared at the wall, waiting for her to acknowledge him. Finally Tsunade put her paperwork aside and looked at him steadily.

"Tell me about your family." She ordered and Iruka's jaw dropped. What? Seeing his look her expression softened. "It's important Iruka." Looking at her he nodded and steeled himself.

"My mother was Umino Sachi, an only child. My father was Umino Kiyoshi and he had an older sister, Aiko. I never met her, she left before I was born. That's all I know really." Iruka shrugged. "May I ask what this is about Hokage-sama?"

"When Kakashi returned from his last mission he wasn't alone. With him was a young man who is looking for his remaining family." She paused and Iruka stared at her in growing shock. Was it possible? "We ran tests but they aren't very reliable considering the gap between you as you would be second cousins."

"Are you saying he is claiming to be my cousin!" Iruka's disbelief was obvious. "What village is he from? It could be a trap to get a spy in here but then why my family? Why not someone more important?" Iruka found himself sitting before he had even realised it.

"For what it is worth Kakashi doesn't believe he was lying, that doesn't mean that the boy wasn't lied to and led to believe you are his cousin." Tsunade explained, watching Iruka closely.

"Do you believe him?" The teacher finally asked.

"I don't know, I haven't spoken to him. He was injured saving Kakashi and has yet to regain consciousness."

"Do we know anything about him?"

"Just what he told Kakashi. His name is Harry; he's sixteen and an orphan. Kakashi also reported him having some skills that could be very useful in the fight with Sound."

"So he's Shinobi? You never said what village he's from." Iruka stared at Tsunade, something wasn't right about her answers. She sighed tiredly.

"He isn't a ninja and he isn't from any of the villages. He's an Outsider." Iruka knew he was staring at her dumbly but he couldn't help it, really. "I'm sure you understand the sorts of problems that information getting out could cause."

"Yes ma'am." Iruka answered distractedly.

"Is it possible your Aunt left?" Tsunade asked and Iruka thought about it.

"I guess. No one really talked about her. She was several years older than my father and was a civilian. My parents weren't even married when she left." They both fell silent, thinking about the teenager laying unconscious in the hospital. "Hokage-sama?" Tsunade focused back on him.

"Do you think it's possible? That he's really my cousin?"

"It's not impossible." She stopped as Shizune appeared in the doorway.

"He's awake." She said and Tsunade left immediately for the hospital, Iruka right behind her. She stopped in the hallway just down from Harry's room.

"Stay out here for now, I want to talk to him first. I'll call you in when I'm done and we'll see how he reacts to you." Iruka nodded, nervous but refusing to show it as Tsunade approached the door.

Tsunade walked in to see the teen doubled up, coughing with Kakashi trying to help him by giving him water. The boy had tears streaming down his face and was trying not to laugh even as he continued to cough. She walked over and helped him stop coughing, earning a grateful smile.

"Care to explain what that was about?" She asked and Kakashi shrugged.

"He was talking to the snake and then he just started laughing which led to coughing." The grey haired man explained. Harry, finally quiet, looked her over curiously. There was something about her that said she was older than she looked, glamour of some type?

"Um, excuse me?" The two Konoha natives turned to look at a nervous Harry. "Who are you?" He asked politely.

"I'm the Hokage, Tsunade, kid."

"Oh. Nice to meet you ma'am." Well, Tsunade thought, at least he's polite. She studied him closely now that he was awake. Intense green eyes that held pain and shadows to match many shinobi met her stare. Messy black hair fell to his collar and partially hid the weird scar on his forehead. He wasn't tall, but at 5'6" he wasn't incredibly short either and he was young enough to still have some growing left. She didn't like the fact that he was malnourished and under weight, not dangerously so but still too thin to be healthy. Tests had revealed several previously broken bones, some that had never healed correctly and the bones in one arm were actually somehow younger than the rest of the bones in his body, which made absolutely no sense. Then there were the traces of very odd substances in his blood stream. Despite all that he was remarkably healthy and that only added to her reasons for being suspicious of him.

"So, Harry. Want to tell me your full name and what you were doing in that cell?" Tsunade asked and the teen's gaze seemed to intensify for a bit before he nodded and she felt nervous for some reason. Then it hit her; Kakashi had said he used eye contact when entering his mind. Her gaze became icy. "Did you just go into my mind?" Harry blinked at her.

"No ma'am. That ability takes a lot of effort on my part but I was trying to judge your intentions. I'm alone in a place I know nothing about, would you do any differently?" Tsunade found herself agreeing because honestly, she couldn't say she wouldn't do exactly what he had just done. She nodded and the teen took a deep breath. "My full name back home would be said Harry James Potter, but here it would be Potter Harry I guess. My parents were killed when I was a baby and I was sent to live with my mother's sister and her family. They were killed on August 18th and I ran."

"Why?" Tsunade asked, had the boy killed them?

"Because the people who killed them were after me. Staying there and letting them find me didn't seem like a smart thing to do. I made it to safety only to find out a few things that had been kept secret from me, one of them being the fact that I have more family and then left for here. Unfortunately you guys are really well hidden so I ended up in the middle of nowhere with no clue. Then three guys show up, grab me and throw me in a cell. I think I was in there for about four days before they chucked Kakashi in." Harry fell silent and then blushed as his stomach let its empty state be known to all of them, earning a chuckle from Kakashi.

"Kakashi, go get him some food." Tsunade ordered and Kakashi left.

"How did you save him in the cell? And how is it you can talk to snakes? Let alone survive that bite. Kakashi said he didn't sense you using any chakra."

"What's that?" Harry blinked at her shocked look and then shook his head as if saying ignore the question please.  
"How much do you know about the outside world?" He asked, wanting to know how much he should and needed to tell her.

"We're pretty up to date on world events but I've never heard of anyone doing what Kakashi described you doing." She told him and Harry nodded, thinking. He thought about it for a bit and then shrugged mentally, why not? It wasn't like that world had done him any favours so why protect it? Tsunade could see that he was trying to decide what to tell her and let him, if she felt he was lying she could always have him questioned a little more thoroughly, even though she would feel bad for it after seeing his test results. She watched as he came to a decision and met her eyes, his own holding determination and surprisingly fear.

"Do you believe in magic?"

\------------------------------

"Yo." Iruka looked up as Kakashi approached from the room the Hokage had disappeared into a while ago.

"Hello Kakashi-san." The jounin pulled his book out and began reading, smirking slightly as the chuunin fought down the urge to berate him for his reading material.

"She's talking to Harry. You're waiting to be called in I suppose, could be a long wait. She sent me to get him some food." Kakashi told him as he started to walk away.

"Do you believe him? That he's…"

"Yes. Help him Iruka-sensei." With that cryptic statement he disappeared around the corner leaving behind a confused teacher.

\-------------------------------------

Tsunade stared at the teen sitting on the bed in front of her. He had kept eye contact the entire time he had spoken and hadn't stumbled over any of his answers when she'd asked questions, except when it was obvious he was deciding wether or not it was something she really needed to know. His story was a bit hard to swallow. Magic? Then again wouldn't chakra seen that way to many? Seeing her look the teen smirked slightly, it wasn't arrogant though but amused.

"You should have seen my reaction when I first learnt that magic existed." He explained.

"I'd had it drummed into my head for eleven years that there was no such thing and then I was suddenly dumped into this new world with little explanation." Harry shrugged.

"That doesn't explain how you survived the bite." Tsunade pointed out and Harry nodded.

"When I was twelve I faced a basilisk. Basically the most deadly snake there is. Just making eye contact is deadly. To kill it I shoved a sword up through the roof of its mouth and didn't manage to miss all of its fangs, ended up with one lodged in my arm." He showed her the two sides of the scar and her eyes widened as she realised just how big the snake had been. "Basilisk venom in any quantity is fatal and I'd gotten a pretty good does, I was barely conscious not even five minutes later. The only reason I survived was because of Fawkes, a phoenix. Um, you do know what a phoenix is don't you?"

"A mythical, immortal firebird." Tsunade answered.

"Well, not so mythical actually. Fawkes healed me with his tears and I've never thought much of the incident since. According to our resident snake however it had something to do with my survival. Which shouldn't be possible, wouldn't the tears and venom have cancelled each other out?" Harry frowned in puzzlement.

"Perhaps, though it could explain some of the odd substances we picked up in your blood." She explained. They looked over to the door as Kakashi walked back in with a tray full of food. Both adults watched as the teen demolished it, amused at the sight. Harry looked up and blushed.

"Sorry, someone needs to tell that guy to feed his prisoners better."

"I'll be sure to mention it the next time I see him." Tsunade replied with a smirk. Kakashi looked between the two; obviously they had been talking since he'd left. "Well, welcome to Konoha Potter-san. You will be under observation until I am absolutely positive that you are not a spy for anyone, these are dangerous times and I will not put my people in danger."

"I understand Hokage-sama. Frankly if I was in your shoes I'd do the same thing. Any other rules or anything I need to follow?" Tsunade's respect of the teen went up another notch at the calm response.

"No wondering outside the village. No telling anyone where you are from or what you are. We'll say that you were raised on a small farm away from any villages by your relatives to explain any slips you make. After they were killed you decided to go looking for the rest of your family and ran into Kakashi on the road. At least you know the language and some geography. Now about the snake…" Tsunade trailed off and they all turned to look at said serpent.

$What?$ She hissed.

$What's your name? I'm sorry I forgot to ask.$

$That's fine Speaker, you were dieing after all.$ She hissed and even the others could tell she was amused. $I have no name. You may call me what you wish.$ Harry thought about it, not noticing the weird and slightly uncomfortable looks he was getting. He suddenly grinned a grin worthy of the Marauders.

$Vespillo. Roughly translated it means Grave Digger and since you were meant to kill us I think it's oddly fitting. Ves for short.$

$Vespillo… I like it. Thank you Master.$

$Not Master, Harry. I've had some bad experiences with that particular title.$ He shuddered at the memories.

$As you wish Harry.$ With that Ves coiled back up and went to sleep.

"Well?"

"Huh?" Harry blushed as he realised Tsunade was staring at him, Kakashi had gone back to his book. "Oh, sorry. Her name's Vespillo."

"Vespillo?" Tsunade asked, frowning over the pronunciation of the strange name.

"Yeah, loosely translated it means grave digger." Kakashi snorted slightly at that, fitting name considering how close she had come to putting the teen in his. "Basically her life belongs to me because I'm a Speaker and she attacked me, even if she was aiming at Kakashi at the time. Apparently snakes have a pretty strict code when it comes to us because we're so rare."

"Is Orochimaru a Speaker?" Tsunade asked, she'd never seen him speak like Harry but that didn't mean he couldn't. She waited as Harry turned back to the snake.

"No, he just has a contract?" Harry looked puzzled by that but the others nodded.

"Well if he attacks with those summoned snakes of his again at least Harry will be able to tell them to go eat someone else." Kakashi commented flippantly, earning a glare from Tsunade and a choked giggle from Harry.

"Now, there is someone who has been waiting in the hall the entire time to meet you Harry." He was instantly serious as she said that, a glimmer of hope and more than a little nervousness in his eyes. "I'll tell him to come in and we'll leave the two of you. What you tell him is up to you, he knows that you have abilities and that you're and Outsider." Tsunade stood and headed for the door, Kakashi trailing after her after tossing Harry a goodbye wave.

_TBC…_


	5. 5

Iruka straightened as Tsunade and Kakashi walked towards him.

"He's all yours sensei. He's still recovering so take it easy."

"Of course." Iruka looked at the door nervously and Tsunade smirked.

"Get in there!" She gave him what for her was a gentle push towards the still open door and he staggered. Iruka straightened and then stepped inside, his eyes immediately going to the bed.

The first thing Iruka saw were intense green eyes staring straight at him. They held eye contact for a few minutes before he forced himself to look away and study the teen. His hair was darker than Iruka's own and a lot shorter and messier. He briefly noticed a scar half hidden by the unruly locks but didn't pay much attention to it. What worried him was how thin the boy, his cousin, was. He wasn't pale but only lightly tanned, like he'd been indoors a lot until recently. He finally looked back at his cousin to see the teen was study him so he stood still and let him look as much as he wanted. Green eyes finally moved back to his face and Iruka smiled. A hesitant smile answered him and he slowly moved further into the room, taking the chair Kakashi had been keeping watch in.

"Hello." The teen greeted warily.

"Hello Harry." Iruka returned the greeting and they fell silent, neither sure what to say next.

$Do you mind? You two are being annoying.$ Iruka jumped, kunai in hand and was left staring at the large snake curled up on the windowsill. He swallowed hard at the sight.

"She won't bite, well unless you attack me or her, then it's in defence." Harry said nervously. Iruka looked between his cousin and the snake warily before sitting again and putting the kunai away.

"She's yours?"

"She is now. Her name is Vespillo." Iruka nodded and they fell silent again after Harry shot a glare at Ves for scaring Iruka. They sat in silence for nearly ten minutes before Harry spoke again. "So…Kakashi said you're a teacher. Do you enjoy it?" He felt like hitting himself for the lameness of what he'd just said but at least it was a start, right?

"It's very rewarding but very exhausting. Teaching children to be ninjas is hard work."

"I'll bet. Um…so what now?" Harry shifted nervously on the bed.

"We get to know each other, isn't that why you came here?"

"Yeah." Harry smiled again but this time it was warmer and far less wary.

"Well, I'm twenty eight and a chuunin. I teach at the Academy and work at the missions desk. My parents were killed fourteen years ago during the Kyuubi attack. They were Kiyoshi and Sachi Umino. They were both Jounin. I was an only child because mother couldn't have any more children but we were happy. I had an aunt, my father's sister but she left Konoha a long time ago."

"Aiko." Harry said softly and Iruka nodded. "Umino Aiko married Jonathon Evans and they had two daughters, Petunia and Lily. Lily married James Potter and they had a son, Harry, before being murdered fifteen months later." Harry looked away, feeling the pain in his chest. No matter that he barely remembered them it still hurt. He tensed as a hand grasped his shoulder but relaxed slowly as it simply remained there, offering comfort. He slowly looked up at his cousin and managed a shaky smile. Iruka smiled and squeezed his shoulder, understanding his pain.

Iruka left his hand on Harry's shoulder, feeling the boy begin to lean into his touch. He had felt the way Harry had tensed when he had touched him, the same way Naruto used to tense and it worried him. Then Harry's top slipped down and Iruka's eyes went wide as he got a look at the teens back. Harry frowned and then followed his eyes before pulling away and yanking the top further up, covering the scars. His eyes were wide and he was almost falling off the bed. Moving quickly Iruka wrapped his arms around him, pulling him safely back onto the bed fully. Harry went completely stiff in his arms before beginning to struggle but he was still weak from being unconscious so long and the effects of Vespillo's venom, plus Iruka was a fully trained ninja. Iruka just held him, feeling tears of frustration soak into his uniform. He'd seen that type of scaring before, on a ninja who had been brutally whipped as part of a torture session to gain information. But the scars on Harry's back were old, meaning that someone had whipped a child. It was then that his mind was made up, he would take Harry in and give him the type of family he had had before his parents had died. He didn't care anymore if the teen wasn't really his cousin, he needed help and he would give it, simple as that. He held Harry until he stopped fighting and the tears stopped. He pulled back to see the teen was asleep and smiled. He made sure Harry was comfortable on the bed before standing and looking at the snake that had been watching him closely the entire time.

"Better get used to me Vespillo if you plan to stay with Harry because I am not letting him go." He wasn't very surprised to see the snake bob its head as if it understood. "I'll be back soon." Iruka slipped out of the room, ignoring the guards by the door even as they looked at him, obviously they had been aware of what had been happening in the room but as far as he was concerned it was none of their business.

\-----------------------------------

"Excuse me Hokage-sama." Tsunade looked up from Kakashi's report to see Iruka in her doorway and motioned for him to come in.

"That was quick." She commented.

"He's asleep. How long until he can be discharged from the hospital and what will happen to him then?" Iruka asked, hoping that Harry was to be allowed to stay.

"He was surprisingly very understanding of the restrictions I've placed on him and will be allowed to stay. We just need to find a place for him."

"That won't be necessary, he will stay with me." She looked at him in surprise.

"Oh?"

"Both you and Kakashi believe his claims to being my cousin and after meeting him I agree. He needs a place to live and I have a spare room. He…I need to do this."

"Very well. Since that has been sorted out you can take him home today if you want. Kakashi can sneak Vespillo over later." Iruka smiled.

"Thank you." He bowed and left for home to fix the spare room up for Harry before returning to the hospital.

\---------------------------------

Harry blinked up at the ceiling hazily, still mostly asleep.

$Awake again Harry?$ He sat up and stared at Ves in confusion. $You fell asleep on the other human.$ Harry blushed and looked around but other than Ves and himself the room was empty. $He left after you fell asleep but said he'd be back soon.$ Harry nodded and relaxed back into the pillows. He doubted he'd be back, not after seeing the scars and having Harry lash out at him. Harry groaned and banged his head against the pillows, so much for a fresh start with family.

"There a reason for trying to kill the pillow?" An amused voice asked and Harry sat up quickly to face the door. Iruka was standing there, smiling at him. Harry simply sat and stared at him, not knowing how to react. In the few minutes they had known each other Iruka had shown him more honest concern than everyone but Mrs. Weasley and Sirius. "Ready to get out of here?" Iruka asked as he walked over to the cupboard, frowning as he found the torn but obviously recently cleaned uniform. "A uniform?"

"Kakashi's idea. Apparently it's easier to sneak out if you look like you belong."

"We'll need to get you some clothes then. Good thing I thought to bring some of mine. They'll be a bit big but better than this thing." He tossed a bag onto the bed and Harry opened it to reveal a pair of comfortable looking pants and shirt. "Do you have any belongings?"

"No, they took everything I had before putting me in the cell."

"Well, we'll see what we can do about getting you a few things other than clothes." Iruka said, mentally going over how much money he had spare. Without treating Naruto to ramen so often he had more money than he would have if Naruto were still in Konoha. He smiled as he noticed the lost look on Harry's face and sat on the edge of the bed. "Hokage-sama said you can be discharged now so we'll be going home." Harry stared at him blankly.

"Home?" The teen asked quietly.

"Home Harry, with me." Iruka reached out and wrapped an arm around the too thin shoulders.

"Why? You don't know me." Harry moved restlessly, part of him wanting to pull away but another part wanting to curl into Iruka and never move and those mixed emotions confused him.

"Not yet I don't, that will take time. In the meantime you need a home and I have the room. Since I don't take mission I can help you adapt to life here easier than a more active shinobi. And more than that you're family, the only family I have. I want to get to know you Harry and for you to know me." He tightened his grip a bit, making it more of a one armed hug and smiled as he felt the teen beginning to relax into him. "So are you ready to go?" He asked again and Harry slowly nodded.

"I'll wait outside while you get dressed. Kakashi will come by later to sneak Vespillo out and to the house."

"Okay." Harry waited until Iruka had closed the door before stripping off the hospital issue pyjamas and changing into the too big clothes. Luckily he had plenty of practice with Dudley's cast offs and so he was able make them work.

$You look ridiculous.$ Ves hissed in amusement.

$Thanks. You heard all that?$

$I will alloy him to carry me to you.$ She hissed and Harry leant on the sill, running his fingers over her black scales.

$I'll see you later then. What do you need for food?$

$Nothing yet, I ate well on the trip.$ Something about that made Harry shiver but he didn't ask.

$Okay, see you later then.$ Harry moved over to the door and opened it to see Iruka standing with two men in white masks and black robes. He froze in fear, eyes wide and bolted back into the room. The two masked men looked at each other and then at Iruka.

"Maybe if you could make yourselves a little less obvious?" The teacher suggested before going after his cousin. He couldn't see him but Vespillo was staring at the ensuite door so he walked over and knocked. "Harry? Are you alright? Can you open the door please?" Iruka asked on finding that it was locked. There was no answer so Iruka concentrated and reappeared inside the bathroom to find Harry having a panic attack. He picked the teen up and forced the door open, walking over to the bed he sat down and held Harry tightly as the teen stared blankly ahead while hyperventilating. Iruka pulled Harry closer as the door opened but relaxed as Tsunade rushed in.

"What happened?"

"He saw the Anbu and panicked. I found him locked in the bathroom like this." Iruka explained as Tsunade ran diagnostic jutsu's over the teen.

"Harry? Look at me Harry." Tsunade coaxed and very slowly green eyes focused on her. "That's it, it's okay. You're safe."

"Death Eater's! They've found me." Harry began trying to get away but Iruka tightened his grip and Kakashi moved so that Harry could see him as well.

"Harry there are no Death Eaters here." He smiled at the teen but was worried, where was the confident young man that had saved his life? In his place was a scared teenager.

"Saw them. They'll kill you all just to get to me." Iruka frowned at the response, the only other people Harry had seen…

"Harry they were Anbu members, not Death Eaters. Anbu wear masks to conceal their identity." Harry turned to look up at Iruka, disbelief in his eyes. Iruka smiled down at his cousin, the boy trembling in his arms but at least his breathing was calming. "I promise, they won't hurt you. They are the Hokage's bodyguard and elite ninja's but they are not Death Eaters." Not that Iruka knew what a Death Eater was. He looked at Tsunade and Kakashi but they were as lost as he was.

"Get one of them in here." Tsunade ordered and Harry went as stiff as a board. Kakashi went to the door and soon returned with one of the guards. Harry went wild as soon as he saw the cloak and mask, fighting Iruka's hold with everything he had. Iruka tightened his grip and whispered soothing words to the distraught teen. "Remove your hood." The Anbu obeyed, eyes hidden by his mask flicking from the hysterical teen to his hokage. "Harry, look at me." She commanded and the teen automatically looked at Tsunade even as he struggled against his cousins' grip. "That's it. Now look closely at him, does he look exactly like a Death Eater or is there only a resemblance?" She asked calmly, motioning the confused Anbu closer to the bed and more fully into the teen's line of sight. Harry stared with wide eyes at the man. They all relaxed a little as Harry began to calm and then he slowly raised a shaking hand to the man's mask, tracing it.

"It's an animal?" Harry asked softly and the Anbu nodded. Harry relaxed back into Iruka's arms without thinking about it. "Not a Death Eater." Harry said quietly.

"What is the difference in their appearance Harry?" Tsunade asked.

"The mask. Death Eater's are just plain white. Sorry." He muttered, curling up.

"I think I better get him home Hokage-sama." Iruka said, easily standing even with Harry's added weight.

"Good idea." She flashed through some hand seals and the teen went limp in sleep. "He'll be out for at least six hours. Be careful, it looks like the everything's catching up to him so he might be a little emotional for a while." Iruka nodded and left the hospital, cradling Harry gently in his arms.


	6. 6

Iruka tore into the room, weapons in hand and ready to defend his cousin from any attackers only to stare in shock at the sight of Harry writhing on his bed, locked in a nightmare. Weapons vanished as he moved to the bed and gently placed a hand on Harry's shoulder only to pull back as the teen lashed out.

"Harry wake up, it's just a dream." He called as his cousin continued to twist and scream in his sleep. Harry jerked away and seeing a figure leaning over him threw himself into the nearest corner, curling up to protect his body while babbling.

"Sorry…so sorry Uncle. Please don't hit me. I'll be good. Please." Iruka had frozen as Harry had moved to the corner but upon hearing that he was moving again. He knelt in front of Harry and gently reached out to cup his face.

"Harry look at me. It's Iruka, not your uncle. You're safe here, whatever you saw was a dream." Iruka kept talking as he slowly moved into a better position and then cradled the scared teen in his arms, rocking him gently. He nodded at the shadowy figure in the doorway and it left without Harry noticing. He smiled as he felt Harry slowly relaxing in his arms, so much for Tsunade's jutsu lasting six hours, it had only been three.

"Iruka?" Harry finally asked, voice hoarse from his screams and crying.

"Yeah, you okay now?"

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered.

"For what? This? Everyone has nightmares sometime Harry. Though that seemed a little more violent than the usual."

"I…" Harry went tense and Iruka sighed, he knew the teen wouldn't just suddenly open up to him just because they were family.

"You don't have to tell me Harry. Let's get you back to bed, Hokage-sama let you out on the understanding that you would get plenty of sleep." Iruka stood, helping Harry to his feet. It was only then that Harry realised they were no longer in the hospital.

"Where are we?" He asked, looking around at the unadorned room curiously.

"My house, your home now. This will be your room, we can work on it and decorate it how you want later." Iruka explained. "I think the grand tour can wait until tomorrow." He helped Harry back into bed and tucked him, making the teen blush from embarrassment but Iruka could see that he was enjoying the attention. "Just call if you need anything." Harry nodded and got comfortable, quickly drifting back off to sleep and Iruka left the room.

"Everything okay?" The chuunin smiled and stepped into Kakashi's embrace.

"Nightmare, he's asleep now. The way he was screaming…I seriously thought he was being attacked." Iruka was content to just stay in the warmth of his lovers arms and not move but his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten since lunch. "Dinner?"

"Thanks." Kakashi smiled as he watched Iruka move around the kitchen. He was a little worried about what they were going to do now. Their relationship was a complete secret but now with Harry living with Iruka how would they be together?

"Don't worry about it." Iruka stated quietly, startling Kakashi and making the smaller man smile. "We'll work something out, somehow. I'm not losing you." Iruka finished quietly, moving in to steal a kiss before returning to his cooking.

"By the way, Ves is in your room." Iruka rolled his eyes.

"Thanks. Any problems smuggling her here?"

"None. You okay with sharing a house with a highly deadly snake?"

"Guess I'll have to get used to her." Iruka shrugged. "Where did you find Harry?"

"Iruka…"

"I know, don't ask about your missions. I'm sorry." Iruka leant back as Kakashi moved behind him and wrapped his arms around the chuunin's waist.

"Let's just say that his first impression of shinobi wasn't the best and that he's handy in a tight situation. Not bad at first aid either." Kakashi buried his face in Iruka's hair and smiled. "He's different now to how he was when we met. He's a lot less secure and confident then he was."

"Maybe it was the circumstances? By the sounds of it you were in a fight or something so maybe he can handle a fight but isn't as sure when around new people. He's affection starved Kakashi, the same as Naruto when I first started showing him I was there for him. Does it sound weird that I want to know who hurt him and why and fix it? I don't even know him!" Iruka shook his head, frustrated and heard Kakashi sigh before he was turned in his arms and found himself staring into his lover's unmasked face.

"No it doesn't, I found myself feeling protective of him pretty quickly too. He hasn't had an easy life, not as bad as some shinobi but still not easy. There's a lot of hurt and fear below the surface Ruka, he needs help." Iruka moved and kissed Kakashi softly.

"Then he'll get it."

\----------------------------------

"Good morning Harry." Iruka greeted as the teen stumbled into the kitchen. Harry blinked sleepily before muttering a hello and collapsing into a chair. Iruka chuckled and put a plate of food down in front of him. The smell finished waking the teen up and he stared at the plate in shock. "Eat up, we need to do some shopping. You can't wear my clothes all the time and we need to personalise your room." Harry shocked look hadn't disappeared but it had changed targets from his breakfast to his cousin, much to Iruka's amusement.

"You don't have to go to any trouble for me." Harry murmured, slowly beginning to eat the, to him, strange food. He still wasn't used to the local cuisine but he would adjust, at least he was being fed regularly.

"I know that but I want to. We're family Harry and that's something I haven't had in a long time." Iruka smiled and ruffled Harry's hair, ignoring the teen's flinch. "Eat up and then we'll go. Also, you might want to start thinking about what you want to do. I could see about getting you a tutor if you want to learn more about our world. You could find a job somewhere if you want to but there's no rush. There aren't a lot of teens your age around since the majority are shinobi but there are some since a village can't survive with only ninja. I have to be at the Academy tomorrow so you'll be on your own for the day and most of the time after that. After class I work at the missions office for a few hours but I'm home on the weekends unless a mission comes up that they need someone to take and there's no one else free or I need to do one to keep my record up." Iruka explained and Harry nodded. "Go get dressed and we'll get started Harry." The teen went back to his room and put the oversized pants he'd received the day before back on, tucking the shirt that he'd slept in into them. When he came back out he smiled.

"Hello Kakashi." He greeted the masked man.

"Yo. Hokage sent me with a gift." He tossed something and Harry caught it easily to Iruka's surprise but he wasn't the youngest Seeker in a century for nothing. Harry frowned slightly at the wallet but opened it only to stare blankly at the money inside before looking back up at the two adults.

"I don't understand."

"A reward for saving a shinobi's life, twice. I owe you Harry." The teen blushed slightly but smiled, thinking about something.

"My name stands out, doesn't it?" The other two males gave him odd looks but nodded anyway.

"Since you come from a remote rural area but still from our world your name will stand out." Kakashi confirmed.

"Your clan name is easy enough, you are an Umino after all." Iruka told him, smiling as Harry focused on him. "But Umino Harry still sounds a little…"

"Odd?" Harry quirked an eyebrow and Iruka nodded.

"So what if I change it? Pick something more local."

"Don't see any reason why you can't. You haven't been introduced to anyone and the records from your stay in hospital have been sealed due to the reason you were there and your abilities. By the way, you can't tell anyone where we met or what happened." Kakashi explained and Harry gave him a puzzled look. "Because it was a classified mission I was on and we don't want you to be the subject of kidnap or assassination attempts if word if your abilities gets out."

"Good reason." Harry conceded. "So, any suggestions? Need a name in case we meet anyone."

"Lets go see the Hokage, she'll need to know you're changing your name. I'll take Harry Iruka-sensei." Kakashi rested a hand on Harry's shoulder and they disappeared in a flurry of leaves, Iruka following them.

\------------------------------

Tsunade stared at the three males standing in front of her desk. The teen had a good point; his name would mark him as an Outsider more than his appearance ever would.

"I don't see any problems with changing your name Harry. You'll be taking Umino as your clan name I assume?" She asked, looking between the cousins and smiling as Iruka put his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"He will." Iruka smiled down at Harry who smiled back.

"Next question is would you prefer to use a name that is in your family or just find one you like the sound of?" Tsunade asked and Harry frowned in thought before looking to Iruka and Kakashi.

"Could always give him a baby name book to read." Kakashi offered with a shrug.

"What about Hiroshi?" Iruka offered suddenly.

"Umino Hiroshi? The name's vaguely familiar." Tsunade said, thinking about it and Iruka nodded.

"He was my grandfather. I think he would approve of his great grandson bearing his name. Plus it starts with the same letter as your birth name." He explained, addressing the last to Harry. "The name means generous." He continued to explain and Kakashi chuckled.

"It suits you." He pointed out, smiling behind his mask.

"Umino Hiroshi." Harry said slowly, testing it out for himself. "Are you sure? He was your grandfather." Harry said looking to his cousin.

"He was your family too Harry. He would have liked to meet you, I know it." Iruka smiled and ruffled the teen's hair, once again ignoring the wince. He would do everything he could to get Harry used to non-painful contact. Harry slowly smiled and nodded.   
  
"Welcome to Konoha Umino Hiroshi." Tsunade smiled at the group. "I'll have the paperwork done. Now get out of here and get him some clothes that fit!"

\---------------------------

Harry, now legally Hiroshi, collapsed on the couch much to his companion's amusement. It had been nearly five hours since they had left the Hokage tower and they had finally finished shopping. He was now the proud owner of a wardrobe that actually fit as well as several books and other things that had caught his interest. They had also picked up a few bits of furniture to personalise his new room. All in all it had been a very productive, if tiring day. The left over money had been put in a bank account under his name for the future so that he wouldn't be totally dependant on Iruka.

"Hey! I just got out of hospital, give me a break!" the teen grumbled.

"Well, as fun as today has been I need to go. See you around Hiroshi, Iruka-sensei."

"Bye, thanks Kakashi." Hiroshi waved tiredly.

"Thank you for your help Kakashi-sensei." Iruka said politely and then the jounin was gone.

"So how long have you two been together?" Iruka froze at the innocent question and turned to see the genuine curiosity on his cousins' face.

"What gave you the idea we're together?" Iruka stammered out, nervous.

"I can just tell." Hiroshi shrugged and pushed himself off the couch, gathering the shopping bags.

"Hiroshi, you can't tell anyone. Please. He's a jounin and I'm just a chuunin instructor. We have to act as comrades only anywhere in public, even if it seems like we're alone. We can't be caught!" Iruka explained, not wanting to beg. Hiroshi smiled and nodded.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise." With that he disappeared into his room to put away his new belongings before dinner. He smiled as he hung up his new shirts. It looked like life here would be good and without the life of Harry Potter intruding. Anyone who managed to get this far would never find him because Harry Potter didn't exist here.

_TBC…_


End file.
